St. John with the Lamb of God (?) (recto); Various Sketches for an Ascension and other Religious Scenes (verso)
Attributed to Franz Anton Maulbertsch Austrian
Not on view
On the recto, a scene is depicted dominated by a bearded man at center, who points at the figure of a lamb emerging from an open doorway with flames bursting out. Likely, this is meant to portray the Gate to Hell. To the right are four figures, two of which are kneeling in the forefront. Two more figures are placed behind them, one of whom is holding a houlette, suggesting that he is a shepherd.
On the verso of the sheet are sketches in various stages of completion. Most prominent is a composition with the ascension of a female saint (The Virgin Mary of Mary Magdalene) on the left side of the sheet. On the far right is a figure of a praying individual. In between are various other sketches with rudimentary outlines of figures.
